INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING GETTING POPULAR WITH CITY DWELLERS

By Elizabeth Majaham

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Oct 18 (Bernama) -- The East Malaysia state of Sabah
Sports Board’s indoor rock climbing facility located within the Youth Challenge
Park at the Likas Sports Complex is quite a hit not only with city dwellers but
foreign visitors as well.

Interestingly, one of the first persons to try the activity when the facility
officially opened just a month ago was a visitor from Brunei.

Accounts Manager Agnes Kuiky, 27, who also mans the registration counter, in the
midst of conversation pointed to a young pair who she said were from China.

“They cannot speak English, only the girl, a smattering of it and they
communicate with me mostly in sign language,” she told Bernama, here. There were
also two young men there, who she said were students from United Kingdom.

Over 50 people, mostly youths, would come and enjoy the facility
everyday, which is open from 4.30pm to 10pm on weekdays except Monday and 10.30am to
10pm on weekends and public holidays.

“Our oldest participant was a grandmother in her 70s from Kota Belud, who was
brought here by her son together with his family. The youngest was five years
old, I think,” she said.

The facility is not profit-based but rather an initiative by the State
Government to provide an outlet for youths to channel their energy into a
healthy activity. A one-time RM1 fee is imposed for membership while the daily
charge, inclusive of the use of harness, shoes and chalk bag, for an adult is
RM12, and per child, RM10. The collection goes towards maintenance of the park.
(US$1=RM3.09)

There is no time limit to participate in the activity and one can go on until
closing time.

However, when the crowd becomes bigger they may have to take turns to
participate in the activity.

“We also have wi fi (wireless internet connection) so maybe they can turn to the
laptop/netbook while awaiting their turn,” she said.

Wall Manager Royston Jaffar, 23, said they have been given a five-year contract
by the Sports Board to manage and maintain the public facility which is the
first in Sabah.

“It is a healthy activity, especially for the youths to vent all that unspent
energy. We provide trained instructors so it’s a safe sport. We have the easy,
beginner and advanced level so even children and senior citizens can enjoy it as
well,” he said.

According to him, the indoor rock climbing facility which took four months to
build is the first phase together with the skateboard arena nearby, of the Youth
Challenge Park project. The second phase would be the futsal playground.

He related that one mother was very happy with the availability of such a
facility as she had managed to divert her nine-year-old son away from his
obsession with computer games.

Meanwhile, Beverly Tam, 21, a student said she has been coming to the facility
three times a week.

“It’s the only place you can find in the city that is a challenging yet fun and
healthy way to spend your time when you are bored.

“For me it is also to face my fear. I am afraid of heights and since getting
into the sport I have overcome it. Recently while in KL, I climbed the wall a
Camp Five which was 50 feet (over 15m) high.

She joins the basic training (how to tie, how to belay, and how to climb the
wall) from 6.30pm to 8.30pm every Wednesday conducted by a trained instructor
from Scotland.

Apart from getting exercise, she also enjoys meeting and making friends
including visitors. “I’ve made a few friends here who were from South Africa,
the U.K,” she said.

She hoped the Sports Board would consider building a higher wall like the one
found in KL or elsewhere in the world.

Rosemae Lachica, 24, from the Philippines who works in the Food Services sector
said she came to know of the activity from friends through facebook.

It was her first time at wall climbing and she said she was going to make it a
regular activity.

“We do have this in the Philippines and I have been to such a facility. I would
just look at the boys doing it - it never crossed my mind to try it myself. Now
I’ve tried it, I realised it is really fun,” she said, getting ready for her
fourth climb.

Vincent, 29, a Technical Assistant, indulges in the activity three to four times
a week. He has been an enthusiast of the sport for six years since a student in
Canada and has become an expert of sorts in it.

Before the facility became available, he used to climb a rock in an
abandoned quarry in Inanam, which for the unseasoned participant can be risky.

“Having this for the public is also good, environmentally. Because you get the
feel of being close to nature and eventually people respect the environment.

“This kind of sport is mushrooming in many parts of the world.

“Yes, it can be a tourist product for Sabah - people who like this kind of
sport, wherever they may be will always go back to their element. So if they
happen to know there is such a facility, they would head for it, just like the
Chinese pair," he opined.
-- BERNAMA




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